The Age Of Miracles

The Age of Miracles 

• Genre: Fiction; science fiction; coming-of-age 
• Originally Published: 2012 
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 810L; grades 6-12 
• Structure/Length: Approximately 304 pages; audiobook length around 9 hours and 3 minutes
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The story is narrated by 11-year-old Julia, who lives in California. The central conflict arises when the Earth’s rotation mysteriously slows, leading to a continuous lengthening of days and nights. The narrative follows Julia’s personal and emotional journey through this apocalyptic backdrop, focusing on her family dynamics, adolescent struggles, and the changing world around her. 
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Themes of environmental disaster; family dynamics; adolescent challenges; bullying; subtle existential and philosophical undertones; death

Karen Thompson Walker, Author 

• Bio: Born in 1980; American author known for her speculative fiction; themes in her novels often include catastrophic events and their impact on humanity and individual lives; focus on character-driven narratives; noted for her contemplative and lyrical writing style 
• Other Works: The Dreamers (2019) 

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Painful Nature of Growing Up
• The Loss of Personal and Planetary Ecosystems
• Small Changes Have Large Consequences
• Chaos and Order: Religion’s Role in Society

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an increased understanding of the social and historical contexts around divisions in society that impact the characters during the slowing.
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Painful Nature of Growing Up, The Loss of Personal and Planetary Ecosystems, Small Changes Have Large Consequences, and Chaos and Order: Religion’s Role in Society.
• Plan, create, and discuss items recommended for The Explorer rocket, based on text details.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the novel’s statement about the relationship between people and nature, what drives conflict, and other topics.